The Raven
by BloodInTheNile
Summary: No one has tried to see his face?..." he questioned. His companion smirked. "Maybe they're afraid of what they'll find..." ..... SasuSaku
1. Vanishings

**Hello again everyone!**

**This is my official second story from my first account. Re-made of course because I had originally planned to remake it anyway.**

**Summary: " No one has ever tried to see his face?..." he questioned. His companion smirked. "Maybe they're afraid of what they'll find....."**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Warnings: Blood, gore, and violence.**

**Couples: Main: SasuSaku, Side: NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaRin, NejiTen, (Others? )**

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**Music Listened to/ that helped inspire in this chapter**

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1: To Return _by Chevelle_

2: Vanishings _by Secret & Whisper_

3: Emotional Drought _by Chevelle_

Prologue: _Vanishings_

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_Some vanishings are conjured mysteries...._

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To anyone not involved, the night was just like any other. Quiet, peaceful even.....

But to them, it was night they wished had never come.

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_They disappear inside of a mist and breeze....._

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A cloaked figure ran through the dark foreboding forest, not stopping even as the thick branches sliced across pale skin and black cloak. The small hand of a young child clutched in their grasp as they ran from an unseen enemy.

Gunshots echoed through the darkness.

The cloaked figure ducked behind the shadow of a bush, pulling the child close to muffle any sound, just as a group of men with guns clutched in their gloved hands rushed by and faded into the night beyond.

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_If I lost you...._

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The cloaked figure's hood fell back to reveal the smooth, pale skin and long, dark hair of a woman. Her eyes as dark as polished onyx, glittered with an unknown emotion as they fell on the child slumped against her chest.

"It's alright, dear......they've gone." she whispered gently to the boy, rubbing soothing circles into his shaking back.

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_I swear I meant to give you a second chance....._

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The child warily looked up at his mother with scared onyx eyes.

"M-Mother.........w-who who were those men?.....why....why did they kill Father?...."he questioned, trying his best to keep his voice from shaking and failing misserably.

"I don't know, dear...........but they're very bad men.........and you mustn't allow them to catch you......." she told him, trying to keep the quiver out of her own voice as she did the best she could to calm his trembling form.

The boy nodded shakily and nuzzled closer to his mother for comfort. They both lay there in silence, as they rested from their long run.

After a long moment, she gently pushed him away to look her in the eyes. "Listen to me, my son........" she whispered, tears welling up in her own dark eyes as she looked into the scared eyes of her son.

"If something happens to me..........I......I want you to run.........run as far and as fast as you can.........never look back.........hide yourself....never let yourself be caught by anyone..........." she told him, tears slowly streaming down her pale cheeks. "Do you understand?..........."

The boy looked into his mother's tear-filled eyes, unsure, but he nodded slowly. "H-Hai..........." he whispered, his dark eyes falling shut as his mother placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

"That's my son.........." his mother whispered fondly, a loving smile on her lips as she gathered her son back into her arms.

Not knowing that this would be the last time........

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_And we will go where no one ever knows......_

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"THERE THEY ARE !!!!!!!!" a loud voice bellowed, shattering the silence, causing both mother and child's eyes to widen in fear.

His mother stood quickly, pulling her son to his feet as well, before bolting through the forest, her son following as fast as his legs could carry him.

The boy ran as fast as he could, fear driving him in the worst of it's ways. Fear for himself......Fear for his mother.

"You must run faster! Hurry!" his mother encouraged breathlessly as she ran, dragging him along behind her.

Suddenly the forest disappeared around them as they entered a clearing, devoid of all life but one enormous cherry blossom tree at it's center. It's light pink petals being buffeted by the cool evening breeze.

His mother stopped before the magnificent tree, her pale hand touching a knot in the bark just before she grabbed a fistful of her son's cloak and used the last of her strength to throw him around the trunk and out of sight.

"Run...........and don't look back.........." her voice echoed in his ears, before the sound of bullets hitting flesh and wood echoed through the darkness.

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Then all was silent....

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_And we will never have to play the part of afeared in the dark......_

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_TBC..._

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**Well There's the re-write of the prologue :) I hope it was at least alittle bettr than the original. It would have been better but my stupid internet explorer failed epicly and deleted the awesome new chapter I originally wrote so I was forced to simply fix a few things in the original chapter instead of a full re-write :(. Though I must say this looks much better :) **

**I'll re-write the first chapter next :) so keep an eye out for it!**

**Please Review!**

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_L8ter......_


	2. Looming Moon

**Hello again :) I know you must be thinking, "Oh wow, it's a miracle! She's updating!" and to be honest, I'm surprised as well o-o...**

**I've finally gotten around to re-editing this chapter :) I can easily say I'll try not to change this one too much (it's probably my favorite one I've written) but I'll be changing things that I consider 'errors' or things that I feel no longer fit with my desired plot. After this, I hope to tackle my most hated chapter (chapter 3) which has been a thorn in my side since I've written it :(**

**Also, I want to thank you all for the various reviews I've gotten on this story so far. I can't even begin to say how happy they make me :) Though I feel the need to point out to some people who have been criticising the previous chapters that they should have read my author's note stating that I'd be re-writing the chapters they were criticising (after all I wrote those quite a long time ago and my writing style has grown alot of the past years). **

**Oh well, no harm no fowl :) and just so people know, I'm not looking for grammatical perfection in my stories, but I am trying my best to make my stories well-written and interesting with as few errors as possible. So please bear with my and try not to criticize too much (though I don't mind some criticism).**

**Anyway, I won't waste anymore of your time...Please enjoy the chapter! :)**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot**

**Warnings: Blood, gore, and violence in later chapters.**

**Couples: Main: SasuSaku, Side: NaruHina ,NejiTen, ShikaIno, KakaRin (Others? )**

"Talking"

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_Flashback_

"_Thoughts_"

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**Music listened to/ that helped inspire this chapter**

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1: Looming Moon _by Secret & Whisper_

2: Remedy _by Under The Flood_

3: Collapsing _by Demon Hunter_

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Chapter 1: _Looming Moon_

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_Don't turn away looming moon......._

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A dark, ominous figure loomed above the glistening city of Konoha, presence unknown to those in the city below...

The figure crouched in position atop one of the roof's many stone gargoyles. His gloved hand resting on the cold stone of the gargoyle's head as his eyes focused on his target.

A middle-aged man, judging from his appearance. Dark brown eyes, tanned skin, and a thinning, grey scalp. Overall a normal business man that could easily be overlooked by any average civilian...

A breathless sigh floated through the cold, night air, bringing with it a white, wispy cloud.

The city lights danced upon the figure's bone white mask as he stood from his crouched position, his long black cloak fluttering with the chilling evening breeze. He easily balanced atop the gargoyle's stone head as he carefully pulled a small, silver lighter from his pocket. Never once wavering as the chilled, evening breeze swept over him.

Tired eyes shifted towards the dark horizon, fingers idly toying with the small lighter. God only knew why he possessed it...he didn't smoke.

Snow slowly began it's descent from the darkened skies above, bringing with it a feeling of peace...

The figure jumped slightly at the soft beeping of his watch, before silently putting away his lighter.

He glanced down from his perch atop the gargoyle's deformed head, eyes glittering with unnerving anticipation...

...and then he jumped.

He practically flew through the air towards the city below. Faster... and faster...and _faster._

Halfway down the side of the building he front-flipped with undeniable grace, his trench coat hiding him from sight. Within seconds, the coat vanished in a swirl of midnight, black feathers as the sleek form of a raven burst forth into the night sky.

Only a single black feather remained as a reminder of his presence this night...

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_"It's time to go to work......"_

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_You'll have your revenge very soon......._

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'HE GOT AWAY'?!?!?!" A booming, obnoxious, voice shrieked from within the police station of downtown Konoha.

An unusual man with shaggy silver hair, an eye patch, and a slim black mask over the lower half of his face, sighed as he watched his loud acquaintance pace furiously around his office.

"I meant exactly what I said, Naruto......." he intoned, boredly.

**SLAM**

Tanned hands slammed down on the older officer's desk with enough force to dent the wood. Ignoring the elder officer's mumble of 'That'll be coming out of your pay check', the boy continued his raving.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO DANG CALM ABOUT THIS?!?!?!" he shouted into the elder's face, his fingernails chipping the, already damaged, wood in his frustration.

The older officer sighed.

"Well getting worked up about it certainly won't solve anything..." he stated blandly as he opened his infamous orange book to a random page. Most likely to distract himself from the younger officer's loud ranting.

Normally under-ranked officers would be punished for yelling at their superiors. It was disrespectful, and blatantly rude, but Kakashi understood the boy.

Naruto was very sensitive to matters of the law. His father had been a man of the law and was renowned as a hero by the force. Therefore, Naruto had alot of pressure on him to become as successful as his father had once been...however, that wasn't his only reason to be so frustrated.

Naruto. Absolutely. HATED. Injustice.

So it was understandable why a crime of this magnitude angered the boy so much...

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Though, Kakashi still couldn't help wishing for the boy's tantrum to be less disruptive...

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"Well LAZING around, doing NOTHING, won't solve anything EITHER!!!!" The loud blond bellowed, his nostrils flaring angrily.

Kakashi glanced up at Naruto. "Who said we were 'Doing nothing'..." he intoned blandly.

"Well it's pretty obvious you're doing NOTHING Kakashi-sensei!!!" Naruto growled. "After all the guy's still on the loose! You shoulda caught the freak by now! I mean......he.....he killed someone Kakashi!" he shouted in his superior's face, before turning away gruffly. "and if that's not enough he stole 8 million from the same bank the guy he MURDERED worked at!" he barked. "To top it off, he did it all on the SAME freakin' night!!!"

Despite the boy's raving, Kakashi continued to look calmly at the fuming officer before him.

"I believe I'm well aware of that, Naruto...now will you kindly quit flapping your lips for a moment so I can explain?..." the elder officer smiled eerily beneath his mask, causing the younger officer to cringe. He'd seen that smile before and it never meant anything good.

"Yes, sir..." Naruto grumbled irritably, before grudgingly taking a seat infront of Kakashi's desk. "Well I'm listening!" he snapped.

"Patience, patience......" Kakashi chided lightly as he took out a thin, black folder from his desk.

"Alright, this contains all the information we have of this...criminal" Kakashi informed, a serious tone edging it's way into his voice. Naruto eagerly leaned over the desk to view the mysterious file.

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_Don't turn away from what you love...._

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Kakashi flipped open the file to reveal a newspaper clipping, a blurry photograph, and a small plastic bag which appeared to contain a piece of darkly colored...metal.

"This is...it?" Naruto murmured as he glanced over the small amount of items on the desk, he had expected far more than this...

Kakashi nodded solemnly. "This is the reason we can't catch him...he leaves hardly any evidence behind and when he does it's just small things... like this." he muttered, holding out the plastic bag with the dark 'metal' inside.

"We researched that piece...and identified it as a raven's talon." Kakashi explained. "The other officers wouldn't take it as evidence, but I kept it...I really feel it's involved with this case, somehow."

"Where did you find it at the scene?..." Naruto questioned, puzzled as to why a raven's talon, of all things, would be inside the building at all.

"That's just it...I found it pierced clean through the glass of the window he supposedly used to enter the building..." Kakashi replied as he set the bag back inside the sleeve of the folder.

"Now do you see why we can't catch the guy?..." Kakashi said as he set the file at the end of his desk neatly, opposed to the rest of the files on his cluttered desk.

Naruto remained silent as he stared at his feet, deep in thought.

The room grew deathly silent. A pin could have dropped on the concrete floor and could easily have been heard...

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Unfortunately, for Kakashi, it wouldn't last...

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"STILL, how're we supposed to GET more evidence if we don't keep investigating!?" Naruto exclaimed loudly, destroying Kakashi's much needed silence once more. Kakashi sighed.

"The research department is understaffed...and the investigation teams are all working on other cases.....even if we DID try to find more evidence, we have no team..." he explained patiently.

"I could do it!!!" Naruto exclaimed, his cerulean eyes sparkling with determination. "I have the expertise AND I hardly have anything to do lately anyway, with all the other officers getting all the more dangerous jobs, I wouldn't even need a team!!!" he babbled out excitedly. "Besides it's not like anyone else will do anything anytime soon!!!"

Kakashi sighed. The kid actually had a point, for once...

"Alright alright...just calm down, I'll put you on the case...but under NO circumstances are you to EVER engage the criminal throughout this case, understood?" Kakashi commanded seriously.

Naruto saluted, his trademark grin spreading across his face. "You have my word, Kakashi-sensei!!!"

Then the silence returned...

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"Naruto?..."

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"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?!"

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"Get out of my office"

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_Soon you'll be finding it's much too tough..._

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_TBC..._

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**Yes! I finished it :) I hope it turned out ok...I'll get to work on the next re-write soon!**

**Please review!!!**

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_L8ter....._

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	3. You are familiar

**Hello again everyone! :D**

**I'm sorry for not updating when I said I would, the first reason was because of a thunderstorm and exhaustion, and the second reason was because my muse decided to go on vacation without notifying me *sweat drop* Once again, Forgive me *bows* I'll try to make the chapter longer to make up for it, but I can't promise anything.**

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**Anyways, please enjoy! :D**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

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**Warnings: Blood, Gore, Violence, Crude humor.**

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**Couples: Main: SasuSaku, Side: NaruHina, KakaRin, NejiTen, ShikaIno,One-sided LeeSaku (others?)**

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"Talking"

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Normal

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_Flashback_

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"_Thoughts_"

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**Music Listened to/that helped inspire this chapter**

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1: You Are Familiar _by Secret & Whisper_

2: Monster _by Skillet_

3: Fire It Up _by Thousand Foot Krutch_

4: Fallen _by 30 Seconds to Mars_

5:Heaven's light/ Hellfire _from The Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack_

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You Are Familiar

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_You're clear to me, despite my blurry vision......._

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Soft flakes fell from the overcast skies, in dreary monotonous patterns.

The cold sidewalks of Konoha were nearly abandoned, and traffic seemed to be even more scarce. No one wanted to brave the cold for something as trivial as a walk down one of the city's many frozen sidewalks. Though it was to be expected.

It was nearly the holidays , after all.

Many were ,most likely, at home with their families. Drinking hot cocoa around a warm fire, or perhaps eating merrily surrounded by family and friends. Milking the holiday season for all it was worth.

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However, this wasn't the case for some individuals......

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A petite woman shuffled down the abandoned sidewalk . A large paper bag ,filled to the brim with groceries, clutched beneath her crossed arms as she tried to retain what little warmth she already possessed

She breathed into the soft, wool scarf she had wrapped around her neck. The recoiling air warming her face, to her delight.

The woman actions made her seem utterly normal.

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It was her appearance, however, that did not.......

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Her hair was an exotic, light pink and it fell to her shoulders, straight as a rod. While her eyes were the lightest ,possible shade of emerald and her skin, while slightly pale, was healthy and unblemished.

She wore a dark maroon coat, that fell to her knees, and ,slightly baggy, dark brown pants covered her legs. Her feet donned heavy winter boots. A dark maroon, wool skull cap completed her winter apparel.

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The woman shuffled along the sidewalk, her gaze set to the sky, as snow settled on her uncovered face.

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It would be another Christmas alone.......

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She didn't resent her parents for this in the least. No, of course she didn't!

"_It just gets lonely after awhile......._" she thought to herself, as her gaze drifted to her feet.

Both of her parents worked over seas. Her father, an important business man, and her mother, a head fashion designer, were always traveling on business. They both only came home on very important holidays and her birthday.....

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But sometimes, even that didn't happen.......

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She shook her head, forcing herself to think of more positive thoughts. It wouldn't do her any good to be moping around on the holidays. It was only a week before Christmas after all!

The woman smiled to herself as she began to think of ways to entertain herself for the holidays. Immersing herself in ideas, but making sure to pay attention to where she was walking.

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_It's another night of sleeping with the lights low......._

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However, she failed to notice the figure emerging from the jewelry store ahead of her.

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She looked up just as her nose collided with the man's strong chest.

She quickly jumped away,holding her hand over her abused nose.

"_Oh man, I hope it's not broken....His chest is HARD!_" she mentally whimpered.

"I'm SO sorry!" she apologized, bowing low to the man. "I wasn't paying attention......" she muttered, rubbing the back of her head in an embarrassed manner, before looking up at the man she'd collided with.

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"_Wow......._"

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She couldn't help but mentally gap at the man before her. He was gorgeous....

Nearly shoulder-length, raven black bangs fell over deep obsidian eyes, while the rest of his hair spiked in a messy disarray at the back of his head. Pale ,creamy skin defined the aristocratic features of his face.

He wore a long black trench coat, that fell to his ankles, black cargo boots, and fingerless black gloves. She also noticed a few silver piercings decorating his left ear.

He could almost be called beautiful.......

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It was only when the man raised a dark brow at her that she realized she had been gawking openly.

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"Eh.....Sorry ,once again, sir........" she blushed, as she looked up at the handsome stranger.

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"_Good Lord, he's tall......."_

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He eyed her for a moment, almost as if he was expecting her to suddenly pull out a knife and run down the street on a murderous rampage, before shrugging.

"Hn......whatever......" his quiet voice murmured.

Her mind went blank at the sound of his voice.

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An awkward silence settled over them.......

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"Uhhh heh........I-I just r-remembered! I needed to get something here! Well sorry , once again, see you around!" she stuttered out nervously before bolting into the jewelry shop, like a cat on hot coals.

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All the while, the stranger watched her flee the situation in hidden amusement.

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The soft ring of a cellphone pierced the night air.

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The man carefully took out the sleek black device and flipped it open with casual ease, placing it to his ear. He never spoke a word as a voice came through the line.

"Tonight, at the target of the 21st...." a deep, slithering voice rasped before the line went dead.

The cellphone was placed back in the man's pocket.

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All was silent........

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Then man vanished in a swirl of black feathers.........

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_You are familiar in ways that I'm looking for........_

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Naruto Uzumaki stood inside the bank of Konoha. Where precisely?

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In the vault.

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Several other officers searched the vault around him.

"How long do we have to keep this up, Uzumaki?" grumbled one officer, red fang shaped tattoos covering his cheeks. "It's not like we're going to catch this guy anyway.......I mean even the higher ups couldn't bag the guy.....what makes you think us 'newbies' can?"

"Gee aren't you positive today, Kiba?....." Naruto grumbled, sarcastically as he continued to search the vault for a clue. "That's why we're doing this! Somebodies gotta catch the freak......"

"Yosh! Naruto-kun is right!!!!! If we don't do this no one else will!!!" one officer exclaimed, bowl-cut hair and wide round eyes stuck out amongst the other officers.

"Be quiet, Lee......If you have that much energy, put it into finding the guy!...... Instead of bursting our eardrums with your incessant shrieking........" The eldest officer, a man with long chocolate brown hair and pale violet eyes, commanded harshly as he continued to search by himself ,on the opposite side of the room.

"Hai! Neji-san!!!" Lee replied ,as he enthusiastically went back to work. Naruto turned to Kiba.

"See? Lee and Neji have the right attitudes about this" Naruto stated ,his trademark grin already forming on his lips. Kiba frowned.

"Whatever.....but if we don't find anything in the next hour, I'm heading home for the day......we've been out here all night........" he grumbled as he turned back to his side of the vault to continue searching, half heartily.

Naruto sighed.

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He had to admit, he was getting tired of this to......

They had been searching for nearly 12 hours straight now, with only 2 breaks in-between......and it was really taking it's toll on everyone.

He turned back to the door of the vault, to continue searching , before something caught his eye.

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There, glinting in the hall light, was a small black talon. Identical to the one back in Kakashi's office.

The small black talon lay on it's side, just left of the doorway, on the floor beneath the door's keypad.

Naruto picked up the talon, rolling it between his tanned fingertips.

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"This case only gets stranger and stranger...."

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_A silent figure that looms beyond........._

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_TBC......_

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**Well That didn't turn out half bad :D Hope you all like it *Bows* Sorry it seems short *sweat drops* I'll try to make the next chapter longer!**

**I'll try to update again soon!.**

**Please review**

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_L8ter......._

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